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The History of
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The History of
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Although frequently taken for granted and often overshadowed by newer and grander symbols in the worship and other services of the church, I am certain that there is no item in the inventory of The First United Methodist Church in Belton whose role has been greater or whose history is more remarkable than the Pilcher/Hoffmann pipe organ.
For many years, its majestic principals and melodic flutes have been proud heralds to the Glory of God. Installed in 1908 by the firm of Henry Pilcher's Sons of Louisville, Kentucky and rebuilt in 1952 by Otto Hoffmann, the organ's impressive facade and mighty works stand today as a testament to the endurance and fortitude which live in the heart of the church.
To fully appreciate the organ's heritage, it is important to know that the founder of the Pilcher firm, Henry Pilcher (1798-1880), and his five sons came to New York from England in about 1832. In Dover, England he received instructions in organ and piano building. The first record of an organ built in the United States was 1839 for St. Stephens Church in East Haddan, Conn. At one time, Pilcher was organist of Seamen's Institute, and he worked for Henry Erben, the most eminent organ builder in America. Pilcher and his family moved often while in the United States. The sons went into business with their father and carried it on after his death. The company moved to Louisville, Kentucky after the Chicago fire destroyed the factory there. Expositions after the Civil War were a chance for organ builders to display their work; the Centennial Exposition of 1876 in Philadelphia, the 1884 Cotton Centennial in New Orleans, 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago. The most famous exposition organ is the one built by Los Angeles Art Organ Company for 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition.
Naturally a company with Henry Pilcher's Sons' abilities should be chosen to build the organ for the First Methodist Church of Belton, Texas in 1907. The organ was completed in 1908. Except for having to change the wind source to an electric motor from a water motor, the organ remained the same until Otto Hoffmann, of Austin and San Antonio, electrified the action of the organ in 1952. Most of what is heard is the original Pilcher organ; as solid as when Mrs. Lon Curtis, the first organist, played "How Firm a Foundation."
The Pilcher firm was sold in 1944 to M. P. Moller, Inc. of Hagerstown, Maryland. In 1963, Duane Whitlow, wrote to the Moller firm asking if the company had the Pilcher records. As it happened, William E. Pilcher, Jr. was the Moller representative in North Carolina and he still had the Pilcher records. He furnished Duane with the original stop list which may be found below.
On September 14, 2008 a concert was held in the sanctuary to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the pipe organ. The organist at the time was Robert Green. To see a copy of the program and Robert's comments on the occasion, click here. Unfortunately, recording the event was prohibited.
In 1960 I was living in Houston and through a friend met Mrs. Hortense Quin, the widow of Bishop Clinton S. Quin who had been Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas. Somehow our conversation turned to music and I must have said that for several years I played the organ at the Methodist church in Belton. Mrs. Quin asked what kind of organ the church had and when I replied that it originally had been a Pilcher, she said that she remembered it; she was Hortense Pilcher before she married the Bishop. I'm not sure of the family lines, but I suspect that she was a grand-daughter of Henry Pilcher, the patriarch who came to America. My Mother told me that Bishop Quin was highly regarded by those who knew him and in fact, he was the speaker at the baccalaureate service of her graduating class from Belton High School in 1919, conducted in the First Methodist Church.
The book One Hundred and Twenty-five Years of Methodism in Belton, Texas mentions the steep stairway through the organ that led from the basement to the sanctuary, and that it was used by the choir. By the time I was appointed organist, the educational building had been built and I never used this stair. However I remember playing around the stairway as a young boy, but always with apprehension that someone would turn on the organ while I was back there. When the bellows filled with air it was, to me, an awesome sight and sound. The facade of the organ always held a particular fascination. Perhaps my earliest memory of the organ is all the attempts I made at trying to count the pipes across the front of the case. It seems that I never came up with the same number twice. (I confess that this counting usually went on during the sermon and I suspect that more than a few young Belton Methodists have occupied themselves in the same way.)
Of course, I was always interested in playing the organ. My early musical training was somewhat bizarre, I suppose. In addition to learning scales, "London Bridge Is Falling Down" and "Jesus Loves Me", I remember playing the "Beer Barrel Polka" and "Put Your Little Foot" as well. I believe Mrs. Lon Curtis was the First organist and played "How Firm A Foundation" on the organ. I wish I could say that my first piece on the organ was something as poetic, but I seem to recall when I was very young - going to choir practice with my mother and aunt (Mrs. Gladys Cline) - after the rehearsal, climbing on the organ bench and playing "Beer Barrel Polka." Old Henry Pilcher probably turned over in his grave not to mention what the preacher must have thought if he was within hearing distance. During this time that I was growing up, Mrs. George Eads and Mrs. Chariton Jarnagin were organists, although the chronology is not clear to me now. Both of these women pedaled with only the left foot and both took the left shoe off to pedal. I took this to be the first pre-requisite of organ playing and surely startled Florence Simons when I appeared for my first organ lesson at Mary Hardin-Baylor and promptly began to take off my left shoe. During the last years that the Pilcher was intact, and while I was organist, the organ was deteriorating badly. It was not at all uncommon for a valve to stick open under a pipe. It seems this always happened to one of the big principals and then always when the regis- tration changed to some soft voice on the organ. It took some fancy covering up to make things sound anywhere near as they should and frequently there was nothing to do but shut off the wind altogether. Fortunately there was a piano in the sanctuary, which I used to finish the service. I didn't intend to write such a long piece, but I offer no apology. The organ brings back many memories to me - joyous occasions as well as sorrowful times. But above all, a special symbol of God's great work.
Rebuild of Pilcher Opus No. 629 in 1952 by Otto Hoffmann of Austin and San Antonio, Texas.
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| 16 | Gedeckt | 8 | Flute | 16 | Sub Bass |
| 8 | Bourdon | 8 | Prestant | 16 | Lieblich Cedeckt |
| 8 | Principal | 4 | Principal | 8 | Bass |
| 8 | Dulciana | 4 | Harmonic Flute | 8 | Principal |
| 4 | Octave | 2-2/3 | Nazat | 8 | Still Gedeckt |
| 4 | Spitz Flute | 2 | Gemshorn | 4 | Principal |
| IV | Mixture | 1-3/5 | Terz | 4 | Gedeckt |
| 2 | Principal | ||||
| 11 | Rausch Ouinte | ||||
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| 1. 8' Open Diapason | Metal | 61 pipes |
| 2. 8' Dolcian | Metal | 61pipes |
| 3. 8' Melodia | Wood | 61 pipes |
| 4. 4' Octave | Metal | 61 pipes |
| 5. 2' Super Octave | Metal | 61 pipes |
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| 6. 16' Bourdon Bass | Wood | 12 pipes |
| 7. 16' Bourdon Treble | Wood | 49 pipes |
| 8. 8' Open Diapason | Metal | 61 pipes |
| 9. 8' Salicional | Metal | 61 pipes |
| 10. Stopped Diapason | Wood | 61pipes |
| 11. 4' Violina | Metal | 61 pipes |
| 12. 8' Oboe (not reeds) | Metal | 61 pipes |
| 13. 4' Flute Harnonic | Metal | 61 pipes |
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| 14. 16'Bourdon | Wood | 30 pipes |
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| 15. Swell to Great Unison |
| 16. Swell to Great Super Octavea |
| 17. Swell to Pedal |
| 18. Great to Pedal |
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| 19. Tremolo to Swell |
| 20. Bellows Signal |
| 21. Wind Indicator for Organist |
| 22. Wind Indicator for Bellows Blower |
| 23. Organist's Seat |
| 24. Organist's Foot Rest |
| 25. Water Motor |
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| 26. Great Organ Forte Combination |
| 27. Great Organ Piano Combination |
| 28. Swell Organ Forte Combination |
| 29. Swell Organ Piano Combination |
| 30. Great to Pedal Reversible |
| 31. Balanced Swell Pedal |
| Water Motor |